Meeting the Need for Culturally Responsive Care
In 2024, staff at Eliot’s Lynn Community Behavioral Health Center (CBHC) realized that the need for clinicians to provide care to Hispanic-Latino patients had exceeded what they could provide. In a community where more than 60% of the population identifies as Hispanic, only a few therapists provided services in Spanish, and behavioral health services beyond therapy were even more limited.
That’s where Eliot stepped in and formed Equipo Renacer. Equipo Renacer provides culturally specific, Spanish-language wraparound services, including counseling, group therapy, case management, and recovery coaching, to more than 100 children, teens, and adults in the Lynn area.
The Birth of Equipo Renacer
While each client has a unique journey, most come to Equipo Renacer after a series of urgent care assessments, and intake and crisis evaluations, all of which are delivered in Spanish. Once referred to the team, they receive more extensive and personalized assessments, services, and resources. During each step of treatment – which lasts up to 18 months – clients are treated entirely by Spanish-speaking providers who understand their needs and culture.
Leading with Culture, Compassion, and Collaboration
Adriana Claudio-Hernandez leads Equipo Renacer. A trained clinical psychologist, she works directly with adult and youth clients in addition to leading the team. She has been with Eliot since December of 2024. As Eliot’s Director of Multicultural Behavioral Health, Adriana Claudio serves as both a team leader and a direct care provider, sitting in the unique position of providing guidance and leadership to a team of clinicians, while maintaining a direct connection to the community and patients served by the Lynn CBHC.
Throughout her time working in the community, Claudio-Hernandez has seen firsthand the acute need for Spanish-language services, and she is committed to building a team of providers who are fluent in Spanish and have a deep understanding of the cultures they serve. Her team maintains robust connections to resources and treatment options available within the community, she says, and, “We try to gather all those resources and offer them to our community. I believe we do it in a genuine, loving and highly-committed manner. I think that’s what makes this team so wonderful.”
A Team Built on Trust and Mutual Support
While Claudio-Hernandez serves as the team’s leader, she’s quick to note that collaboration is essential, referring to team members as her peers. The collaborative spirit of the team extends to and benefits their work with clients:
“We are a very close team. We try to be transparent and authentic, and we cooperate with each other. We try to bring the same connection, the same compassion, the same affection that exists within our team to our community.”
Members of Equipo Renacer devote their days to supporting the community, but Claudio-Hernandez feels it’s essential for her to ensure they’re supported in their roles as well. “I try to make sure people feel supported, that they feel connected, that they can be vulnerable, and that they’re not afraid of asking or receiving the help they need at that moment.”
As Equipo Renacer gains recognition and grows its impact throughout the Tri-City area, Claudio-Hernandez says, “We are receiving more and more clients who feel confident that there will be someone on the other side who understands their language and culture and who can help them. Our goal is more than just offering services: it’s connecting through culture to understand clients, their families, and the difficulties they experience.”
When asked about the future, Claudio-Hernandez says, “I hope to continue expanding the current team and to increase our Spanish service offerings in other areas of Eliot. We know that the Hispanic-Latino community is increasing and their needs are on the rise, and being able to meet the needs of our community is my main goal.”
Voices from the Team
Cynthia Carballo is a clinician with Equipo Renacer. She has worked at Eliot since September of 2024.
Cynthia Carballo provides compassionate, evidence-based care for adults and adolescents with mental health and substance use needs. A typical day for Carballo may include providing one-on-one therapy (both in-person and virtually), leading group and family sessions, or assisting individuals and families in identifying other services or types of support they may need.
The team’s ability to connect with clients in their native language and in a culturally responsive manner is unique, as many behavioral health services are not offered in Spanish, are very limited, and/or have long waiting lists. When clients do manage to find initial care in Spanish, they are often moved between providers and reach a point where the person working with them does not speak Spanish. By contrast, Carballo notes, since all Equipo Renacer providers are fluent in Spanish, “Sharing the same culture, we can connect with them individually and also with their families, because they are really important, too.”
Like Claudio-Hernandez, Carballo finds the team’s close-knit, collaborative nature essential and beneficial to its functioning. “Even though our team is small, we are very close and we can be authentic and connect with our clients and each other.”
Maria Acosta is a Recovery Coach. She has worked at Eliot since November of 2024.
While Maria Acosta previously enjoyed her role working directly with clients as a Peer Specialist, she found herself feeling compelled to help in a more specialized way. When the opportunity to become a Recovery Coach on Equipo Renacer arose, she recalls, “It felt like a natural step for me. I wanted a more active role in helping people reach their recovery goals.”
Acosta notes that while transitioning to a new role did have its challenges, the move ultimately brought personal and professional growth, and she was able to use strategies from her time as a Peer Specialist to figure out how best to treat her clients. She cites the support of her team as essential, noting, “We are all very close. We care about our community and we care about the people we serve.”
Acosta is inspired by the fact that her work at Eliot touches people who may not otherwise have access to this type of support. “Our team’s work is very important in our community because it gives opportunities to people without resources or services. With my clients, I go wherever I’m needed and help them as soon as I get there.”
